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The United Nations has called on countries to ban all forms of human cloning “incompatable with human dignity.” The American religious right claims victory, but others say the declaration is the result of political maneuvering influenced by pressure from the United States.

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When the backers of California’s stem cell initiative were seeking voter support last year, they not only promised cures for dread diseases, but also licensing revenue for the state. A statement posted on the initiative proponents’ CuresforCalifornia.com Web site says that ‘California will benefit for decades from patents and royalties that result from the research.’ But most biotech IP lawyers say it is foolhardy and wildly optimistic to predict that royalty revenue will come to California in the uncertain area of stem cell-derived therapies.

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Genetically Modified IP Launched
A paper appearing in this week’s edition of Nature is antiseptically entitled: ‘Gene transfer to plants by diverse species of bacteria.’ But the information that lies within may herald a revolution in biology.

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The Human Genome, Take Two
When a sequenced human genome was announced in 2001, most people missed a crucial part of the news: the genome was a first draft, sketchy and incomplete. This fall, scientists completed a new draft. The more complete version reveals that humans have a few thousand fewer genes than was previously predicted. The new version will also allow researchers to analyze the genome on a larger scale.